Categorization is very important for SEO measures.
However, as the amount of content increases, you may find it difficult to decide how to categorize it.
In this article, we will explain the points of effective categorization for SEO in an easy-to-understand manner, using specific examples.
In order to maximize the results of categorization, it is also necessary to improve internal structures such as “internal links”.
Therefore, in the second half of the article, we will introduce points to be aware of when optimizing internal links, such as “cycling between upper and lower pages,” “breadcrumbs,” “common navigation,” and “anchor text.” Please refer to it.
The quality of categorization has a big impact on SEO.
A website needs to be easy to use (usability).
Sites that are difficult to use will be evaluated poorly by both users and Google’s robots (hereinafter referred to as Google), and will not be ranked high in search results.
There are many factors that affect the usability of a website, and categorization is one of them.
The reason for this is easy to understand if you think about the dictionaries we usually use.
When we try to find the meaning of a certain word in a Japanese dictionary, if tens of thousands of words are listed randomly and without any rules, we won’t even be able to find that word.
Information that is not organized is of no use.
The same goes for website content. By categorizing your content appropriately and making it possible to reach the desired content in the shortest possible way, your reputation with users and Google will naturally increase, and this will also affect search results.
Category pages are organized logically
If your website has a single landing page, categorization doesn’t matter.
However, if your site has a lot of information, it is important that all the information is categorized logically.
This makes sense considering Google’s behavior patterns.
Google always thinks logically as it crawls sites and collects information.
For example, when Google crawls a site that summarizes “Japanese local governments,” it assumes that they are categorized in the logically correct order, such as “Japan>Kanto>Tokyo>Chuo Ward…” Masu.
Therefore, if you make logically incorrect categories such as “Japan > Kanto > Osaka Prefecture > Fukuoka City,” Google will get confused and your page may not be indexed (or not displayed at all in search results). I’ll come.
This is no longer an SEO issue.
The key points of categorization are “natural hierarchical structure” and “same theme/same category”
There are various points for “logical categorization” necessary for SEO measures, but the following two are particularly important.
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Have a natural hierarchical (directory) structure
Hierarchical structure, when you think of it simply, is an order from the largest to the smallest.
For example, in the case of a site that summarizes hair growth products, the categories that should be listed under “hair growth products” would be “for men or women,” “medicines, quasi-drugs, or something else.” It’s natural.
Under “Hair restorer”, you suddenly bring in categories such as “Does it have many or few reviews” and “Does it sell many or few units?”, and under that, “Is it a drug, a quasi-drug, or something else?” It is not a natural hierarchy to arrange them.
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Group similar themes into the same category
Imagine a site that compiles reviews of alcoholic beverages.
If reviews about sake appear in the “wine” category, both users and Google will be confused.
So, what would you do if you saw reviews for Burgundy wine in the category “Wine > French Wine > Bordeaux Wine”?
Maybe Google won’t notice.
However, if someone with knowledge about wine sees this, it will give them a bad impression and say, “The person who runs this site doesn’t know anything about wine…” and they will probably not visit you again. .
Categorizing different themes into the same category will significantly reduce user trust in your website, which will be detrimental to your SEO in the long run.
Overdoing categorization has the opposite effect
Too broad categorization is inconvenient.
For example, in the case of a site that introduces hot springs, if you simply categorize them by “domestic/overseas” and then “hot springs in Hokkaido/Tohoku,” “hot springs in Hokuriku,” and “hot springs in Kanto,” you will end up with hundreds of hot springs in each category. There will be many pages introducing it.
However, too detailed categorization can also be stressful for users.
Aside from “Hot springs in Tohoku > Hot springs in Aomori > Day-trip hot springs,” “Hot springs in Tohoku > Hot springs in Aomori > Day-trip hot springs > Simple hot springs/Hot springs with chloride springs…> Sodium-chloride springs/Sodium/calcium-chloride springs” If the hot spring names are categorized as “A line,” “K line,” “Sa line,” etc., the hierarchical structure will be too deep, which will actually have a negative effect on usability.
In addition, pages that are too deep in the hierarchy may be evaluated poorly by Google, saying, “The content isn’t important, so it’s so far down the page.”
The ideal distribution of categorization is such that “you can get to the bottom page within 3 clicks”.
If you want to create a page with more detailed information, one way is to classify it by tagging instead of forcing it into categories.
Maximize the SEO effect of categorization by “optimizing internal links”
We have explained the key points of categorization up to this point, but in order to properly reflect proper categorization in SEO, it is also necessary to modify the internal structure of the site.
Specifically, by “optimizing internal links,” let users and Google move freely through the category without stress.
When optimizing internal links, keep the following five points in mind.
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Rotate top and bottom pages around each other
Sites with a large amount of information often span multiple categories, forcing important content to be placed on lower pages.
Such a site design requires a mechanism to successfully guide users who have visited the upper page to the lower page.
One example is the establishment of a “category page” that explains the entire site’s content on a single page, like a catalog.
Additionally, when accessing a site through natural search, it is not uncommon for the first page to be one of the lowest among hundreds of pages.
In this case, in order to reduce the user withdrawal rate, it is necessary to take measures such as appropriately placing links that lead to higher-ranking pages.
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Proper placement of breadcrumbs
A “breadcrumb trail” is a list of links that shows where the currently open page is located within a site in a hierarchical structure.
Breadcrumbs are usually displayed at the top of the site, as shown in the red frame in the image below.
Breadcrumbs are “guidelines” that show you which category the currently open page belongs to.
Therefore, if breadcrumbs are installed properly, they will contribute to improving the usability of the site, which will indirectly affect the time spent on the site and conversions.
Also, if you set up logical breadcrumbs, Google will be able to crawl them smoothly, which will eliminate index omissions and improve your SEO effectiveness.
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Post internal links to important pages in common navigation
It has become common for modern websites to have “common navigation” such as global menus, footer menus, and side columns.
Introducing important pages with many internal links, such as “article list pages” and “category pages,” using a common navigation will increase the visibility of the entire site and improve the navigation of users and Google, which will improve SEO. The effect will also increase.
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Anchor text must be “an easy-to-understand preview of the content of the link destination.”
There are some examples where the guidance text for internal links is ambiguous, such as “If you want to know more about French products, check
this
out!”, but this needs to be improved.
Google prefers internal links in the form of anchor text, but not just any anchor text is fine.
It is important that the anchor text clearly foretells the content of the link, such as, “If you want to learn more about French wine, check out `
`10 Bordeaux wines carefully selected by sommeliers
!”
The clearer the anchor text, the more relevant it will be to internal links, which will be easier for Google to index and improve SEO.
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Carefully choose pages that concentrate internal links
It is important to limit your internal link destinations to important pages.
“Important pages” include “high-ranking categories that include big keywords,” “category pages that outline the entire site,” and “content created by concentrating costs with the goal of beating out competing sites.”
Links that lead to trivial pages other than these pages can actually confuse users and lower your site’s reputation.
summary
◆Categories contribute to higher rankings in search results, but be careful not to overdo it as it will have the opposite effect.
◆Categorization must be “logical”. The key points are “natural hierarchical structure” and “same theme/same category”
◆Maximize the SEO effect of categorization by “optimizing internal links”
◆There are five points for optimizing internal links. “Reciprocal circulation between upper and lower pages” “Installing appropriate breadcrumbs” “Posting links to important pages using common navigation” “Anchor text clearly foretells the contents of the link destination” “Concentrating internal links” Carefully select pages